According to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), the national median cost of an adult funeral with a viewing and burial was $8,300 in 2023, and a funeral with a viewing and cremation was $6,280. Those figures do not include the cemetery plot, grave marker, flowers or obituary, so the total for a burial is often a good deal higher. Prices vary widely by state and by funeral home, and federal law gives you the right to compare prices and buy only what you want.
What a typical funeral costs
The NFDA's 2023 General Price List Study surveyed its member funeral homes' prices. Its medians:
- Funeral with viewing and burial: $8,300, including a metal casket. That was up 5.8% from $7,848 two years earlier.
- Funeral with viewing and cremation: $6,280, including an alternative cremation container and an urn. That was up 8.1% from $5,810.
For comparison, overall inflation over the same two years was 13.6%, so funeral prices rose more slowly than prices in general.
What those medians leave out
The NFDA says its figures do not include:
- Burial or interment in a cemetery
- A monument or grave marker
- Cash-advance items the funeral home pays on your behalf, such as flowers or an obituary
For a burial, budget separately for the cemetery. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) notes that many cemeteries require an outer burial container (a vault or grave liner), which can cost several hundred dollars, and that opening and closing a grave usually costs hundreds of dollars each. The plot and headstone come on top of that.
Cremation vs. burial
Cremation is now the more common choice. The NFDA projects a US cremation rate of 63.4% in 2025, compared with 31.6% for burial, and expects the cremation rate to reach 82.3% by 2045.
Cremation usually costs less, but the gap depends on what you choose around it. A cremation can still include a viewing, a rental casket, a service and a niche or plot for the urn. The lowest-cost options are usually:
- Direct cremation: cremation shortly after death, with no viewing or embalming. A memorial service can be held later, anywhere you like.
- Immediate burial: burial shortly after death, with no viewing or embalming.
The FTC notes that neither option requires embalming or other preservation.
Caskets and urns
The FTC says the average casket costs slightly more than $2,000, and some mahogany, bronze or copper caskets sell for $10,000 or more. You do not need a casket for cremation. No state or local law requires one, and funeral homes offering direct cremation must tell you about alternative containers, such as unfinished wood, pressboard or cardboard, and make them available.
Your rights under the FTC Funeral Rule
The Funeral Rule is a federal regulation that applies to funeral homes everywhere in the US. According to the FTC, it gives you the right to:
- Buy only what you want. You can choose individual goods and services instead of a package.
- Get prices by phone. A funeral home must give you price information over the phone if you ask, without making you give your name or number first.
- Get a General Price List (GPL). When you visit in person, the funeral home must give you a written, itemized price list to keep.
- See casket prices first. You can see a written casket price list before you see the caskets, so you can ask about lower-priced models that may not be on display.
- See outer burial container prices. If vaults and liners aren't on the GPL, you can see a separate price list before viewing them.
- Get an itemized statement before you pay. It lists every item, its price and the total, and explains any legal, cemetery or crematory requirement that makes you buy something specific.
- Use a casket or urn bought elsewhere. The funeral home can't refuse it or charge a fee for using it, and you don't have to be there when it's delivered.
- Skip embalming in most cases. Embalming isn't required by law in most states, and refrigeration is often an acceptable alternative. A funeral home can't embalm without permission or falsely claim it's required.
The FTC notes that funeral homes aren't required to post their price lists online, though many do. The phone rule applies either way. The Rule does not cover third-party sellers like casket and monument dealers, or cemeteries without a funeral home on site.
How to keep costs down
A few habits help, and the Funeral Rule backs them up:
- Compare at least two or three funeral homes. Call and ask for prices, or ask for the GPL when you visit.
- Ask for the casket price list before walking into the showroom. The FTC notes that shoppers often choose one of the first three caskets shown.
- Decide on embalming deliberately. Skipping it can save hundreds of dollars, according to the FTC.
- Check for benefits. Social Security pays a one-time death payment of $255 to a surviving spouse or some minor children. For a veteran, the FTC notes that burial in a national cemetery, including the plot, opening and closing the grave, a vault or liner and setting the marker, comes at no charge to the family, though the family usually pays other costs such as transportation.
You can find a funeral home near your parent and call several in one sitting to compare.
Prepaying for a funeral: be careful
Many funeral homes sell pre-need plans, where your parent pays now for a funeral later. These can bring peace of mind, but the FTC urges caution and notes that state protections vary widely, with some states offering little or none. Before your parent signs, the FTC suggests asking:
- Are we paying for merchandise only, or for services too?
- Where does the money go, and who keeps the interest?
- Is the money protected if the funeral home closes or is sold?
- Can we cancel and get a full refund?
- What happens if my parent moves, or dies away from home?
Your parent can plan ahead without prepaying. Writing down their wishes, comparing prices and telling the family where the paperwork is often does most of the work. The FTC also advises giving copies of the wishes to family, not relying on a will for them, and not keeping the only copy in a safe deposit box, since getting to it can take time. Review the plan every few years, because businesses close or change hands and prices change.
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Pre-need contracts are governed by state law, so read the contract closely and consider asking an attorney before signing.
Practical next steps
- Talk about wishes now, if you can. Burial or cremation? A service, a gathering or nothing formal? Write down the answers.
- Find the paperwork. Look for any existing pre-need contract, cemetery deed, life insurance or veteran discharge papers. Our documents checklist covers what families need on hand.
- Call at least two funeral homes and ask for prices on the specific services you want. Search funeral homes near your parent.
- Ask for the General Price List and the itemized statement in writing, and check them line by line before you pay.
- Divide the tasks. Calling funeral homes, gathering documents and contacting Social Security can be split among siblings.
- Get help if you are far away. An aging life care manager can help with planning and paperwork at the end of life. Find a care manager.
